An Everlasting Love
by fireandice141
Summary: Winnie Foster drank from the spring on her 17th birthday and became immortal like her beloved Jesse Tuck. This is where her story truly begins. This is the story of an everlasting family and an everlasting love. Oneshot. Complete.


Hey y'all! So this is my first time writing fanfiction EVER, so be gentle with me. In my story Winnie is ten when she meets Jesse in 1914. So the timeline begins after that. If some of the years don't line up or make sense, I'm sorry in advance! And as you will be able to tell, there are minor changes throughout. Hope y'all like this story and leave me some reviews if you do please!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tuck Everlasting

Winnie Foster was ten years old when she met the boy she wanted to spend her forever with. His name was Jesse Tuck and he was frozen forever at the age of seventeen. When Winnie met Jesse, his brother Miles, his mother Mae, and his father Angus 'Tuck', she discovered their secret. They were immortal. They, along with their horse, became immortal nearly 100 years earlier by drinking from a spring deep in the woods of her hometown of Tree Gap.

Winnie fell hard for Jesse and when he and his family had to suddenly leave town he told her to go back to the spring once she was older and drink from it, become immortal and wait for him, for he would come back for her when it was safe.

Seven years after the Tuck's departure is where Winnie's story truly begins.

On Winnie's seventeenth birthday in 1921 she finally made her decision to live forever like Jesse and his family. Even after seven years without a word from Jesse she was still madly in love with him, and would wait for an eternity for him to return. She went to the spring and ran her hands through the cool water for several moments, just picturing Jesse's face and the faces of her second family, the Tucks. She suddenly brought the water to her lips and took a long drink. She was happy and content for the first time since the Tucks left town. Although there was still a hole in her heart that could only be filled by their presence, she was content with the knowledge that she would see them again one day. Her Jesse would return to her, she was sure.

Winnie wrote her parents a letter telling them not to worry about her, packed her bags, and left Tree Gap. For seventy years after that fateful day where she drank from the spring she traveled around the country, not wanting to visit Europe and all the other great places of the world without Jesse by her side.

She wrote her parents occasionally for the first several years, making up lies about having a loving husband and children to ease their worries. Twenty years after she left she wrote her parents a final letter, disguising her handwriting and pretending to be her 'husband' claiming that Winnie had died during the childbirth of their third child. It was easier that way, than to make her parents worry over her until they passed away.

After seventy years Winnie returned to Tree Gap, figuring that anyone who knew of Winnie Foster had long since died. Everything had changed so much, except for the woods that her family once owned. She did not know who owned them now, she was just grateful they were left unharmed, specifically the spring her and the Tucks drank from, and the Tuck's house deep in the woods. That small home became her own when she moved back to Tree Gap. She left almost everything the way the Tucks had left it, only updating the kitchen and bathrooms with more modern appliances and fixtures, and growing a large garden out front. She rarely went into town, only for groceries and necessities, and if anyone asked, her name was Winnie Tuck.

This went on for another twenty years, Winnie waiting for Jesse in the house where it all began, until that fateful day in 2002.

Winnie woke up on a hot August day in 2002 to her ever present thoughts of Jesse Tuck. She loved and missed him dearly, and still held out hope that he would return to her, even after all these years. She got out of her bed, that was once Jesse's, and dressed comfortably in short denim shorts and a tank top. Although she was raised in a time of more conservative clothing, and she did not always enjoy the fashions over the decades, she did like how it was more acceptable now for young women to wear clothing that is better suited for the hot summers.

Winnie went out and tended to her garden for several hours. Gardening truly brought joy to her eternal life. Getting to watch something grow and flourish by her hand made her feel accomplished. She gathered up some of the vegetables she had grown and went inside to prepare her lunch.

She was standing by the sink chopping carrots and potatoes softly humming the song that she would forever remember, the song from Mae's music box, when she heard a soft gasp behind her. She whirled around and came face to face with the young man she had dreamed of every night for the past 90 years.

~~~~ Switching POVs to Jesse for the end of the story ~~~~

Jesse Tuck met the love of his eternal life in 1914. He had to leave her just shortly after their meeting and he thought of her every day they were apart. And now, almost 100 years later he was returning to where it all began in hopes of finding her.

Jesse rode his motorbike through the streets of Tree Gap on that hot August day in 2002, barely noticing all of the changes in the years he had been away, for he was too engrossed in thoughts of his love, Winnie Foster. He and his family, who were driving not far behind him, were coming back to tree gap to hopefully find Winnie once again. Although when they first met, Jesse's father and brother, Tuck and Miles, were against Winnie becoming immortal like them, they warmed up to the idea when they saw how empty Jesse was without her. Winnie had wedged herself into all of their lives in such a short period of time and none of the Tuck's could really picture their eternities without picturing Winnie Foster.

Jesse and his family pulled up outside of Winnie's childhood home, and Jesse pulled off his helmet and got off his motorbike while Tuck, Mae, and Miles got out of the car. Winnie's house looked almost exactly like Jesse remembered apart from small changes here and there. The house appeared to be empty however, so the tucks wandered around the house looking for any sign of Winnie. What they found however was not Winnie, but her headstone.

It was situated at the base of a large oak tree near the house, surrounded by wildflowers. Jesse dropped to his knees when he first caught sight of the headstone, and he could feel the tears threatening to spill out. Behind him he could hear Mae choking up and Tuck trying to console her. Everyone was distraught at the thought of Winnie dying. Tuck and Mae had lost a daughter and Miles had lost a sister. And Jesse lost the love of his life.

It took a while for him to get his tears under control enough for him to read the inscription on the headstone, and when he did the tears began to flow again. It read _Winifred Foster Jackson. Beloved Wife and Mother. 1904-1941. _Not only did Winnie not drink the spring water and live forever, but she also moved on from Jesse and married another man. Jesse's heart was shattered. Miles put his strong hand on his little brother's shoulder to help calm his sobs, although nothing seemed like it would work.

After a few minutes of them all standing in silence, Tuck spoke, "Let's go back to our old home in the woods and rest for a while before we move on again. There is nothing for us here any longer."

Mae and Jesse dried their tears and silently walked into the deep woods with Miles and Tuck. They trudged along for nearly twenty minutes before they caught sight of their old home.

"Well my word, it looks like someone lives here now!" Mae exclaimed. Jesse lifted his head for the first time since seeing Winnie's grave, and indeed there did appear to be someone living in the house now. There was a fresh coat of paint on the house and a large garden planted out front.

"Well, let's go and see if they are here now. Perhaps we could just act like we are lost in the woods, needing their help, and get a look at the old house for the last time." Tuck said.

Jesse wanting to get this over with and get out of this town that held so many now-painful memories of his beloved Winnie, walked ahead of everyone up to the front door. The door was left wide open, presumably letting the Autumn breeze in. Jesse heard a soft humming noise from inside and walked in. Tuck, Mae, and Miles followed him to the kitchen where they all stopped in shock.

Standing there in the kitchen chopping vegetables, with her back to them, was the most stunning young lady Jesse had ever seen. She had soft-looking porcelain skin, on display in tiny denim shorts and a tank top, and rich, dark chestnut curls flowing down to the small of her back. Even without catching a glimpse of her face, Jesse could tell she was unbelievably gorgeous.

Then Jesse recognized the song she was humming. It was the same song that played from Mae's music box. Behind him Mae gasped when she too realized this. The young woman whirled around, her long curls flying all around her, and faced them.

Her face was even more beautiful than Jesse could have imagined and her wide, blue eyes were drawing him in. A small, demure smile broke out across her pouty, pink lips and she opened her mouth to speak. "Jesse Tuck, what took you so long?"

Jesse and his family froze. Jesse's heart clenched at the sound of that voice, for he realized, standing in front of him was his Winnie. She looked to be about seven years older than when he last saw her, but it was definitely her. She was here in front of him, and Jesse could think to do nothing but run to her and scoop her into his arms.

Winnie let out a peel of laughter as her beloved Jesse twirled her around in his strong arms. Tuck, Mae, and Miles looked on with love and happiness in their eyes.

Jesse set Winnie down on her feet and cupped her face in his hands. He rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks as tears of happiness gathered in both of their eyes. Jesse calmed his voice enough to speak, "Winnie! My beautiful Winnie, you're alive! You drank from the spring! But we all saw your grave outside of your old house. How are you here? Are you married? Did you have children?" Jesse babbled from nerves and excitement until Winnie shushed him with a gentle kiss to his lips.

"My dear Jesse, oh how I have missed you! To answer all of your questions, I drank from the spring on my seventeenth birthday, then moved around for years while I waited on you to come find me. I wrote my parents a few times and told them I married a nice man and had children, just to ease their worry. Then after a few years I wrote them claiming to be my own husband saying that Winnie had died. My parents must have put a headstone at the base of the tree in their yard, as a memorial. I have never been married and never had children. I have been waiting on you Jesse Tuck! And you've finally returned to me!" Winnie explained.

Jesse once again grabbed Winnie around her tiny waist and twirled her. His Winnie was alive, and forever young at seventeen like him. She was beautiful and perfect here in his arms.

"I love you so much Winnie Foster and I always will, till the day I die." Jesse professed.

"I love you too Jesse Tuck, till the day I die." Winnie replied and kissed him again.

When they broke apart after a few long, wonderful kisses Winnie and Jesse both were engulfed in hugs from the rest of the Tuck family. Winnie was finally where she belonged, with her love and her family, _forever._


End file.
